Sewing-machine ruffler



H. H. RUSSELL.

swme MACHINE RUFFLER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 6,1921- 1,392,970, Patented Oct" 11, 1921,

UNITED STATES i ATi lN? fli lfiiii.

HERBERT H. RUSSELL, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GREI T MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SEWING-MACHINE RUFFLER.

Application filed January 6, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT H. RUssnLL, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine Rutliers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanylng drawing.

This invention relates to an improvement on the sewing machine rutfier covered by U. S. Patent No. 1,261,628, and has for its object to provide improved means for preventing backward rotation of a ratchet wheel employed in a five-stitch ruffler.

In the ruifler constructed in accordance with said patent a friction spring for preventing backward movement of the ratchet wheel has been interposed between the ratchet wheel and the pendulous lever from which the rufiiing blade is operated, and as the said spring presses equally against the ratchet wheel and the pendulous lever, forcing said lever toward the operating lever, the action of these parts has been objectionably stiff owing to the resulting friction, particularly when straight ruliling was being done, that is, when a forward movement was imparted to the rutlling blade at each stitch. The present improvement comprises a thin plate spring having a turned-over lip between which and the body of the spring the ratchet wheel works, so that the ratchet wheel is clasped on both sides near its outer edge by said spring, and thus the friction induced by said spring is practically on the ratchet wheel only, and the pendulous and the operating levers are greatly relieved from the friction to which they have heretofore been subjected in rufiiers of this kind.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a side view of a rufiler embodying the present improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of the ratchet wheel and its friction spring.

Referring to the drawing, 12 denotes the body of the frame of the rufiier which is preferably provided with an integral attaching portion or shank 13 by which it may be secured to the presser bar of a sewing machine, in substitution of an ordinary presser foot. The forked operating lever 14, which is adapted to engage a pin or stud on the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 11, 19.21.

Serial No. 435,303.

' blade 1'? is attached to the carrier 17 as usual. A ratchet wheel 19, having shallow notches 20, affording short radial teeth, and two deeper notches 21, affording longer radial teeth, is mounted for rotation on the stud or pin 15.

The operating lever 14 is constructed with a bent-over lip 22 to which is attached a pin or rivet 23 which serves as a pivot for a shiftable pawl lever 24 carrying a pawl 25 preferably formed integral with said lever and adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 19 and the shoulder 18 on the pendulons lever 16 when five-stitch rufiiing is to be done; or the said lever may be shifted laterally for the purpose of disengaging the pawl 25 from the ratchet wheel when plain ruifiing is to be done, or when the rufiiing blade is to perform a forward movement at each stitch. The pawl lever 24 may be held in either of the two positions to which it may be adjusted by a finger 32 engaging either of the openings '33 near the free end of the pawl lever 24, said pawl lever being pressed upon by a spring 35 against the stress of which the free end of said pawl lever may be lifted when it is to be shifted from one position to another.

The rufiler thus far described is essentially the same in construction and operation as the ruflier of the said Patent No. 1,261,628, varying only slightly in details. In the present improved rufiier a thin spring metal plate 26 is mounted on the pivot pin 15, said plate being interposed between the ratchet wheel 19 and the upper part of the pendulous lever 16. said plate having a bent-over lip 26 which extends over the peripheral portion of the ratchet wheel 19 so that said ratchet wheel is frictionally engaged on both sides between the said lip and the body of said spring. The said plate spring 26 is provided with a boss 26 contacting with the lever 16 and with a depending finger 27 bent to extend through an opening 28 in the upright frame part 12 to prevent movement of the plate with the ratchet wheel. By virtue of this construction the ratchet wheel will be frictionally held so that backward vinents of ratchet wheels in five-stitch rultlers, and the rufliers will work more freely or easily, relieving the sewing machine from running so hard as heretofore when operating rutliers of the class to which the present invention relates. The term five stitch as applied to rufllers or" the'class to which this invention relates is understood in the art as referring to rufi'lers in which the frequency ot the movement of the ruffling blades is controlled so that they may make only a stitches of a sewing machine, either five stitches or more orless, these ruiflers being capable of adjustment, by throwing the ratchet wheels out of operation, so as to sin le rufliin stroke to several make a ruffiing stroke at each stitch, in doing plain ruiiiing.

Having thus described my invention 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. Ina sewing machine ruiiler, the combination with a ratchet-wheel by which the frequency of the movements of the ruftling blade is controlled, of a friction spring engaging both sides of said ratchet-wheel and ,erving to prevent backward movement thereof.

2, In a sewing inachine ruflier, the combination with a ru'fiiing blade and means, comprising a pendulous leverjprovided with a shoulder, for operating said rutfiing blade, of a ratchet-wheel having deep and shallow notches, an operating lever, a pawl connected. with said operating lever and serving to engage said shoulder and also to engage said ratchet wheel when desired, and avspring mounted contiguous to said ratchet wheel and having a tnrnedbver 'part between which and the body of said spring said ratchet wheel works.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HERBERT. H. RUSSELL. 

